Australia has taken a definite step against parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, with the government announcing on Wednesday that it would start implementing a "no jab, no pay" law. The law states that parents who do not vaccinate their children will not be able to access a number of government benefits, such as child care and other payments, reports CTV News.
While speaking in Parliament, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison stated the rationale of the law. "The choice made by some families not to vaccinate their children is not supported by public policy or medical research, nor should such action be supported by taxpayers in the form of family payments," he said.
With the new law in place, families with unvaccinated children may lose up to AUD 15,000 (about USD 11,000) per child per year in tax and child care benefits. The law is set to take effect starting Jan. 16, 2016.
The legislation, which was initially announced by the government back in April, was prompted by growing concern that recent outbreaks of preventable diseases, such as whooping cough and measles in Europe, may have been spread by children who were not vaccinated, according to East Coast Radio.
Localized outbreaks of measles and whooping cough have also happened in Australia.
Though exemptions to the law may still be granted, parents would be required to submit a certification from a general practitioner that vaccinating the child will result in adverse health effects.
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